Fast Chat with singing gem Jackie Evancho

When Jackie Evancho steps onto the stage at Avery Fisher Hall Monday night, she will become the youngest singer to perform solo at Lincoln Center. But that isn't the only big event going on in the life of the 11-year-old who burst into the national consciousness last year as runner-up on "America's Got Talent." The soprano prodigy, who became the youngest Top 10 debut artist with her "O Holy Night" album a year ago, also became the youngest soloist on PBS' "Great Performances" series in June. That month, her "Dream With Me" CD opened at No. 2 on the Billboard charts behind Eminem, and her latest, "Heavenly Christmas," came out Tuesday.

Now, she's acting in her first film, Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep," a political thriller with an all-star cast due out next year. In a month, the classical crossover singer will appear on television four times in five days. Those shows assuredly will be added to the more than 500 videos of her already on YouTube, led by her singing "O Mio Babbino Caro" with 10 million views. The sixth-grader carries a laptop on the road for "cyberschool" and still finds time to respond to fans on Facebook and Twitter.

After recently returning from triumphant shows in Tokyo, Jackie spoke by telephone with Newsday's Alan H. Fallick from suburban Pittsburgh, where she lives with her parents, two brothers, sister and pet menagerie.

How was Japan?

Japan was phenomenal, and the architecture was beautiful. There's so much to see.

It's not as hard as singing. It's a lot of fun. It changed my perspective on acting. Sure, acting is easier than singing, but getting emotional is hard. Because you're not singing a song. You're putting out your emotions in front of all those people. Sometimes, we do three or four takes, sometimes five or six. I like challenges.

How are your beautiful dresses picked?

I have a stylist, and my mom and I all narrow down the choices. Then, it's perfect.